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Tuesday, 15 March 2016

The Tragedy at Towitta (Part 8) – The Aftermath of a Famous Trial

The Tragedy at Towitta
(Part 8) – The Aftermath of a Famous Trial

Mary Schippan was now
the most famous person in South Australia. Her trial had received media
attention across the country, and celebration right across South Australia
after the trial, and into the next day when local newspapers released special
editions to get the word out of her Not Guilty verdict.

The stay in Adelaide
Gaol and the trial had worn young Mary and her family down. The public
accusations and details about her sister’s death, and Mary’s sinful actions
with Gustave Nitschke had ruined their reputations.

The family had
returned home in secret from Adelaide, and in the time Mary had been in prison,
Matthes had seen to it that the house had been lime washed and everything
cleaned from top to bottom.

Around Towitta a rumour began to take hold that in fact, it
was Matthes who had done the brutual killing. The Rumour points to an Afghan
Camel herder killed some years before near Sedan that Matthes had been accused,
but acquitted of. And also a horse found in the sedan area that had been ridden
very hard, this of course does not account for the fact that on the night in
question Matthes was with family and friends in Flaxmans valley.

Life for Mary was never the same again,
continuously shunned and judged by her peers in the local towns, she tended to
stick to the family farm and became withdrawn.

In 1908, Matthes decided to sell up and move away. The family
moved into a 4 bedroom house at Light Pass near Nuriootpa.
Matthes Schippan died on the 31st of May 1911 aged 61.

Mary and her Mother Johanne lived on in the house, the boys
had moved out and taken jobs in towns close by.

Mary and her Mother
lived in Light Pass until 1917 when Mary showed signs of having Tuberculosis
and moved to Adelaide where she was confined in the Consumptive Home. Johanne
moved to Mount Mary to live with August.

Mary grew sicker and sicker, and knowing death was not far
away, went to Mount Mary to be with her brother and mother. It was here Mary
died on July 4th 1919. She was buried at Bower Cemetery.

Mary’s Mother lived
until 1923 in Eudunda, supported by a small amount of money left to her by her
daughter. She died on September 8th of that year.

Wilhelm never married. He eventually contracted tuberculosis
and died at the age of 42.

Of the other members
of the family – not much is known about their whereabouts and the activities
they undertook after Mary’s trial.

Gustave Nitschke could not set foot anywhere in South
Australia without being recognised, during the trial his photo had been
splashed across newspapers across the State. He eventually moved interstate and
legally changed his name to Gus Nicholls, married, and had six children. He
died in 1954

All photos remain the property of their respective copyright owners and are displayed here for the purpose of education, research and review under the copyright act "fair usage" clause.

Some photo's used here on this site are sourced from The Sate Library of South Australia, and The National Library of Australia and http://www.gawler.nowandthen.net.au - all photos are out of copyright and have no usage restrictions implied.

All photos remain the property of their respective copyright owners and are displayed here for the purpose of education, research and review under the copyright act "fair usage" clause.

Some photo's used on this website are sourced from The Sate Library of South Australia, and The National Library of Australia and http://www.gawler.nowandthen.net.au - all photos are out of copyright and have no usage restrictions implied.

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On the 7-1-2013, The Haunts of Adelaide was added to The National Library of Australia's "Pandora" archive.http://pandora.nla.gov.au/